Always Been There
by CinderellaAtTheBall
Summary: Katie Bell secretly pines for Oliver Wood and things become complicated, not easy, when she decides to go out with George Weasley. OW/KB/GW. ON HOLD, will finish someday! D:
1. Katie's Dilemma

**CatB: Hey, I'm sorry I haven't posted in forever, it's just that this past year I started at a school with an EXTREMELY intense writing program, and I can barely meet the deadlines there, much less write on the side, for pleasure and whatnot. I will try as hard as I can to update, though, and finish my stories instead of leaving people hanging. I really will. Thanks for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Harry Potter. I don't. End of story. **

Katie Bell was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, trying to do her homework. The reason she couldn't concentrate was sitting on the opposite side of the room, studying a diagram of the Quidditch pitch. Katie had harbored feelings for her captain for a few months now, but she knew it was hopeless. The boy was always thinking about Quidditch…That was how they had met, too, when she had made the team, he was, of course, already on it. She remembered the times when he told her to hold her head high whenever other kids teased her and the rest of the team.

At one point, while she was taking a break (which essentially meant she stopped working to stare at Oliver), the boy in question happened to look up and find her staring at him. She blushed and looked back at her history work quickly, trying to look interested in it even though she didn't have a clue what she was supposed to do. She debated asking Oliver, but ultimately decided not to, considering she would probably make an idiot of herself and never be able to talk to him again. With her luck, that's exactly what would happen. She would have to settle with just looking at him.

* * *

The next day, Katie walked to class with a group of her girlfriends, as usual. She stopped suddenly when she saw Oliver, and the whole group halted, too.

"You guys go ahead," she said, trying not to let her voice quiver or sound anything other than normal. They obliged while Katie lingered, watching her crush, who had paused to talk to another girl in his year. He was smiling and laughing with the girl, who was very pretty, and, Katie couldn't help but notice, all over him. She couldn't stop grinning and smacking his arm and, before she turned to walk away, whe gave him a kiss on the cheek. Katie turned away, too, blood boiling, running into a short, brown-haired boy who was obviously in a hurry to get to class, in turn causing her to drop her bag.

"Shit," she said quietly, bending down to pick up her books, swinging her hair in front of her face in the hope that Oliver wouldn't see her, even though she knew he had.

Sure enough, she heard his voice ask, "Need any help down there?"

She looked up, her cheeks red. "Um, sure, that would be great, thanks."

He smiled. "Of course. No problem." He walked with her to the door of the dungeon after she informed him that she had Potions. Her new, klutzy state did not improve throughout the course of the day, becoming especially bad, she noted, when she thought about Oliver and that girl and their gag-worthy conversation. She swore loudly when she realized she had practice that evening, cursing her horrible memory for not reminding her sooner.

* * *

Practice came quickly, a little too quickly for Katie's liking. After dinner, she trudged down to the pitch, trying her hardest not to think about a certain captain and stupid girl hitting it off. It just pissed her off so much that Oliver, _her _Oliver, she liked to think, had proved to be just as dumb as every other boy she knew by going for one of those vapid, flirty types. Suddenly infuriated, she stomped her way into the changed rooms, where she changed at an extremely slow pace, slowly enough that, though she had arrived early, she walked onto the pitch, broom in hand, just as Oliver signaled the start of practice.

Needless to say, Katie's performance at practice was nowhere near as stellar as is usually was. She was so flustered that she actually dropped the Quaffle, several times, something no one could remember her doing even once. After Oliver declared practice over, she landed hastily, eyes watering.

Again she changed at a snail's pace, waiting for the rest of the team to leave, so she could be alone. It hadn't been more than a minute since Angelina had left, however, when she heard a knock on the door.

"I know you're in there, Katie. Are you, um, decent?" Oliver's voice asked.

She stifled a groan and replied that she was. He walked into the room, letting the door fall shut behind him, still looking cautious.

"Hey," he said softly, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Katie said hotly, cursing the tears that returned to her eyes. She should have known she would be having this conversation with him. "It's just…" He struggled for the right words. "You, um, weren't exactly in, uh, _top form _today…"

"Really," she insisted, wanting this one-on-one interrogation to end, "I'm fine."

He put a hand awkwardly on her shoulder. "Look, uh, if you ever need to, you know, talk to someone…" He trailed off again, his eyes locked on hers. "Um, I'm here," he finished lamely.

She shrugged his hand off. " Oliver, I'm sorry, but that sounded like something out of a cheesy movie. You should really just focus on your duties as Captain, because, no offense or anything, but you're actually good at that."

"Yeah, you're right, I'm really bad at comforting people." He laughed uncomfortably, shoving his hands in the pockets of his robes. Katie wondered why he couldn't let himself go with her when he obviously could with that other girl, then pushed the thought from her head.

"Well, don't worry about me," she said cheerfully, "It's just been a bad day. You know how it is," she added, hoping that he did indeed know "how it was."

"Um, okay, Katie, you sure?" he said.

"Yeah, although I'm not really sure why you care in the first place," she said, unable to believe her thoughts had slipped into her sentence.

"You don't-" Oliver looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you don't seem to care about anything besides Quidditch." Katie was mortified. "I mean," she tried to explain again, "the Oliver _I _know-"

"Cares about a lot more than just Quidditch, Katie!" His face was red as he looked at her incredulously. "Do you honestly think that's all there is to me?"

Katie was red by this time, too. "No!" she cried. " I just meant that, you know, you're always preoccupied with Quidditch stuff, so-"

"So what? I can't care about other things too? Like, I don't know, _girls, _or something?" he shouted, apparently not caring if he was heard.

"Well, yeah, you did seem to be having a lot of fun with that girl this morning," Katie snapped, picturing again the scene she had witnessed earlier.

He looked bewildered again. "What girl?"

"Um, the girl I saw you with while I was on my way to Potions," she said as if he was slow. She was sure he knew exactly who she was talking about. "You know, you helped me pick up my bag after talking to her."

Oliver laughed again, genuinely this time. "Katie," he said gently, "That was just Maud."

She narrowed her eyes. "_Just _Maud?" she echoed suspiciously. "What do you mean, _just _Maud?"

"I mean, we're just friends. We're helping each other study for our N.E.W.T.S." Oliver said patiently.

"Oh," Katie said faintly, looking at her feet. "So, you're not-"

"Dating her?" Oliver shook his head. "She's nice and all, but I've kind of got my eye on someone else."

"You do? Really?" Katie asked. "Who?"

It was his turn to redden. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?" she demanded, unable though she was to believe that she was talking about this, and with Oliver Wood, of all people. "Do I know them?"

He nodded, avoiding her eyes. "Oooh, I think I know," she said, enjoying the look of panic he shot her. "Is it Angelina?"

He looked relieved. "No, although I admit I used to kind of like her. She's pretty and plays a mean game of Quidditch, but it soon became apparent she didn't like me that way." He shrugged, still not looking at her.

"Well, I guess it could be Alicia, but somehow I doubt it."

"Why do _I _have to do all the talking, anyway?" he said suddenly. "What about you, missy? You got someone special?"

Katie shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe," she said, but her tiny smirk was not lost on Oliver.

"Okay, come on, tell me." He nudged her playfully.

"It's none of your business," she said, grinning.

"Well, now you can't say I only care about Quidditch," he pointed out. "Anyway, at least tell me if I know him. Fair's fair."

"True," she sighed. "Okay, yes, you know him." A lot better than he thought.

"Aha!" he said, a wicked gleam in his eye, "Is it one of the Weasley twins?"

Katie giggled. "No, it is not, though to be fair, they are both extremely funny and absolutely adorable."

Oliver shuddered. "It is so weird when girls call guys 'adorable'."

"It is just as weird when guys call girls 'hot', you know," she said.

"Well, that's just unfortunate then, because the girl I like is pretty hot," Oliver teased. "And I plan to tell her so. I mean, if we ever go out," he amended quickly.

Jealousy clawed at Katie's heart. She needed to end this conversation, fast, before she did or said something reckless. "That's nice," she said casually. "I hope, um, things work out between you two."

Oliver's eyes searched hers, almost desperately, but he was still able to flash her a smile that made her heart pound. "I hope so, too."

Katie looked away, tongue-tied, yet somehow managed to mutter an excuse about unfinished homework she had to complete. She walked out of the room briskly without looking back and didn't stop to talk to anyone until she had reached the Gryffindor common room.

* * *

"Wow," Angelina Johnson said. "You've liked him all this time?" This was her response to Katie's changing room story and confession about liking their captain, which she had felt compelled to mention. Otherwise, she just didn't think the story would make all that much sense. "Not that I blame you," the older girl, now in her final year at Hogwarts, continued, " because he's totally hot. And of course, completely dedicated to Quidditch. In addition, he's smart, and-"

"Okay, Angie, I know all that," Katie said, laughing. "That, in essence, is why I like him."

"This mystery girl he likes," Angelina said thoughtfully, " He didn't give any clues as to her identity?"

"That's the whole point, Angie, he wouldn't tell me. He was way too embarrassed, because, apparently, I know her."

"Well, that narrows it down a bit, doesn't it?" Angelina rolled her eyes.

"I know," Katie said, sighing. "It could be almost anyone."

"If only you knew what year she's in," said Angelina. "That would definitely help."

"Right," said Katie. "Now, how do I get that information out of him?"

Angelina smiled. "I think I have an idea." She leaned over and whispered in Katie's ear. When she finished, Katie stared at her in shock.

"Angie! I'm _not_ doing that!" she cried.

"Not doing what?" Fred Weasley had wandered over.

"Yeah, what aren't you doing, Katie?" his twin wanted to know.

"Nothing," she said quickly.

"I don't believe her, George," Fred said. "Do you?"

"No, I don't. Just like I can't believe she called us, what was it again, Fred?"

"Hmmm, I believe the words were 'absolutely adorable.'" Fred nodded. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"_I_ can't believe Oliver told you that!" Katie shrieked.

"Well, you better believe it." George grinned.

"'Cause he did," Fred added unnecessarily.

Angelina shook her head, but she, too, was smiling. "Personally, Katie, I think it's cute that he relayed your, erm, compliment to them."

"Oh, that's not all he told us." Fred waggled his eyebrows in a most suggestive manner.

"Yeah, he told us the whole thing," George put in.

"The whole-" Katie began.

"Your cozy little changing room conversation," Fred elaborated.

"Which lead us to believe that, while you evidently pine for _us_-"

"From afar-" Fred jumped in.

"-You and Oliver are meant to be," George finished. There was silence for a moment, then Katie burst out laughing. She had to-the twins could be absolutely hysterical sometimes.

Fred pasted a look of mock hurt on his face. "What, no, 'Fred, George, thank you so much for your generosity'?" He said this in a high-pitched voice that Katie assumed was supposed to be hers.

"Yeah, we're being quite generous, bestowing our approval upon the two of you," George pouted.

Katie shook her head. "Thanks, guys, but I'm not planning to go out with Oliver. I mean, you both heard our conversation-we don't even like each other."

"Hey, it's possible, 'cause neither of you mentioned names," Fred pointed out.

"That is so true," Angelina agreed, smirking slightly.

"Angie, you're supposed to be on my side!" Katie cried. ""You're supposed to say, 'Oh, Katie, you're right, that's so not going to happen.'"

"Oh, am I?" Angelina widened her eyes in an attempt to look innocent.

Katie glared at her. "Yes!"

"Hey, Katie, can you go over there for a second, please?" Angelina smiled sweetly and pointed to an empty corner of the common room. Katie looked at her warily. That was certainly an odd request.

"Can you just go, please?" Angelina sighed as though Katie was giving her a headache.

"Fine." She clomped over to the designated corner, and plopped onto a chair, crossing her arms as she did so. She realized how foolish and immature that had probably looked but it didn't matter because Oliver was nowhere to be seen. She watched Angelina say something and gesture towards her, then punch George in the arm with a smile. She then motioned for Katie to come back over. She was still beaming, which was starting to freak Katie out.

She groaned. "Oh, Angie, what did you _do_?"

"Nothing," Angelina replied breezily, waving her hands around, obviously trying to make it seem unimportant. "Just told them the plan."

"_What _plan?" Katie was getting a little frustrated now. "Could you be a bit more specific?"

"The plan, you know, the one I whispered to you before the boys walked up."

Katie gasped. "Angie, I already told you, I'm not-"

"And why not?" Angelina put her hands on her hips and made an impatient noise. "Katie, you need to make him jealous!"

"Like there's anything for him to be jealous of," Katie scoffed. "He doesn't like me, remember?"

"Like you should let that stop you." Angie countered, then raised an eyebrow. "Or will you?"

"Katie," George interrupted, "it doesn't have to be a big deal. Just go on a few dates with me, okay?"

"Why are you two agreeing with her? This is so wrong!" Katie wanted to shout, but instead kept her voice to a low hiss.

"It's not wrong," Angelina whispered, "to play the field a little, you know? Maybe you'll forget about Oliver this way. Besides, you like the twins, don't you?"

"Of course she does," Fred and George said in unison.

"Yeah," Katie said slowly. She realized she might be more comfortable around Oliver if she had a boyfriend, and she definitely didn't want a repeat of that day's practice. "Okay, all right, I'll do it."

"So, do you wanna go to Hogsmeade together this Saturday?" George asked.

Angelina clapped. "That's perfect!"

"I'll be there, too, of course," Fred informed Katie with a huge wink. "Um, sure."

**CatB: Wow, this is the longest chapter I've ever written, I think! And it was a lot of fun to write. That and the fact that I already have a plot worked out means I CAN UPDATE SOONER! So expect updates in like, a week or so, if all goes well. Oh yeah, and I'd definitely appreciate reviews, of course. =)**


	2. A Date in Hogsmeade

**CatB: Sorry it's been forever since I've updated! This chapter was partially lost, so I had to rewrite bits of it, and that ended up taking a lot longer than I expected…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, I just borrow the characters so I can do fun thing with them, hehehe...**

Katie could feel the stares as she and George walked into Hogsmeade together. It wasn't just Angelina following their every move, she saw lots of other girls watching them, too, giggling and smiling approvingly. And if word got around _this _fast, Katie assumed Oliver already knew or would at least know very soon, unless, of course, he didn't listen to gossip. Actually, Katie wouldn't put it past Oliver Wood to be completely unaware of Hogwarts gossip. She was hoping, _praying_, though, that Angelina would be right, and Oliver would drive himself crazy seeing her with another man, but she was pretty sure he wouldn't even notice, much less be bothered by it.

"So, where do you wanna go?" George asked, as they stood at the entrance to the village.

"Honeydukes! Duh," Katie exclaimed. "I mean, if you don't mind," she added quickly.

"Of course not." He smiled and offered her his arm, which she took, also grinning. "Shall we?"

Katie giggled. "We shall." They started toward the store.

"Awww, look at you two, acting all lovey-dovey," came Fred's voice from somewhere close behind them and they spun around, Katie blushing while George glared.

"Didn't see you there, Fred," Katie said quickly, filling the silence that had fallen.

"Of course you didn't," Fred smirked. "I'm a master of disguise."

He held up a long, blonde wig as well as a pair of purple gaudy clip-on earrings.

"My god, mate, you brought the Cecilia costume all the way here? You _wore _the Cecilia costume all the way here?!" George clapped his twin on the back, roaring with laughter.

Katie's brow wrinkled. "The 'Cecilia costume'?"

"Yeah, it's this costume he's had lying around for years, named after this girl he was in love with when he was about five," George explained. "I've never seen him use it, though it would seem as though today he finally got the chance to."

"Yeah, and it obviously worked," Fred said, pleased. He put the wig back on and strutted around, modeling it for them. This caused Katie to laugh so hard she was soon gasping for air.

"Never-dye- your hair-blond, Fred," she choked out.

"Fear not, Katie dear, I don't plan to," Fred replied, grinning.

George rolled his eyes. "That's great, Fred. Now, would you mind giving me and Katie some, uh, privacy?"

Katie drew in her breath, then remembered she was _supposed _to be alone with him, so they could bond, resulting in a jealous Oliver…

"Yeah," she said casually. "We _are _kind of on a date."

Fred raised his eyebrows at both before quickly plastering a hurt look on his face. "Fine," he said, sighing loudly. "I know when I'm not wanted." He then pretended to cry into George's shoulder.

George pushed him off. "Oi, Fred, get _off._"

"Okay, okay." Fred backed away with his hands up in mock surrender. "I'll be at Zonko's if you need me."

Katie watched him walk off, relieved that he hadn't tried to stick around longer. George seemed glad, too, which made her slightly nervous, but Fred's absence meant that she could begin the first step of the plan.

"Let's go," she said, slyly taking his hand and leading him toward Honeydukes.

"Okay." George didn't seem all that surprised to find himself holding hands with her, or, if he was, he didn't say anything about it, for which she was grateful.

They walked around the magnificent candy store for a while, where Katie squealed and pointed out her favorites. She kept George's hand in her own so that she could drag him around with her, occasionally leaning in to whisper in his ear. She knew she was laying it on thick, but George certainly wasn't complaining. He actually seemed to be enjoying it. Katie was sure that he was playing the role of the boyfriend very well indeed, and that an outsider would have no idea it was all for show.

After Honeydukes, they stopped at Zonko's to see how Fred was doing. Neither was surprised to see him staggering around, arms laden with joke merchandise. A large flashing sign in the window said they were having a sale, which helped explain all the stuff Fred was planning to buy. The twins chatted for a minute about which items they could probably do without, then George had to lend Fred nine Knuts before the date could be resumed.

They decided to head to The Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer and talk. George went off to get the drinks while Katie scoped out the tables. She had one all picked out when she noticed it was in the direct view of none other than Oliver and his _friend _Maud, who were sharing a table nearby. Maud was staring at her and Katie knew it was only a matter of time before Oliver saw her, too. After a moment she realized she was being silly, and that she _wanted _Oliver to see her on her date, so she stayed at the table and waited for George to return. When he handed her a butterbeer and took a seat, she smiled brightly at him, watching Oliver out of the corner of her eye. She was disappointed to see him fully engrossed in a conversation with Maud, apparently unaware of the two of them.

A moment later, she asked George to tell her a joke. He obliged, and Katie laughed loudly. A little too loudly. Now, the eyes of the people at several neighboring tables were on her. She blushed and turned back to George. At least she had succeeded in getting Oliver's attention, which was really all that mattered anyway.

She and George had talked about the next day's Quidditch match for a couple of minutes before she risked peeking at Oliver again. He seemed agitated now, waving his hands and talking to Maud in what appeared to be a low whisper, his face slowly turning red. Katie wasn't sure, but it looked as though Maud was trying to console him, patting his back and whispering her replies. Oliver shook his head violently, apparently not too pleased with her answers, then stood up, pushing his chair back angrily. Katie watched with anticipation as he stalked over to their table.

"Katie, George," he said through clenched teeth, "I hate to break this to you, but we have Quidditch practice in just a few hours, so you'll need to wrap this up and leave soon."

Katie, who had been taking a small sip of butterbeer, choked. "Oliver, we don't have practice today, remember? You said we were in good shape to play Slytherin."

"I changed my mind," he all but snarled in response. "We have practice today and I expect to see you there."

"But, Oliver," Katie protested, jumping up," George and I, this is our first date. I'm sure he agrees that it shouldn't be cut off just because _you've _decided we need to practice!"

"Yeah, Katie's right, we did kinda plan on spending the whole day together," George said, standing to join her.

"That's enough from both of you," Oliver said loudly. "I'm the Captain, in case you've forgotten. If I think we need the extra time, we need the extra time."

"You said we were fine!" Katie cried.

"Listen, _Bell_, I've thought about it for a while, and you know what? I think this is what's best for the team. Oh, and you can thank yourself for this, because your playing on Thursday was shit."

Katie's eyes welled with tears. Why was he being so mean? And why, more importantly, was he blowing off the explanation she had given him in the changing room?

George stepped in for her. "Oliver, come on, this is kind of ridiculous."

"How so?" Oliver snapped. "I do _not _want the Slytherins making us look like fools in the match tomorrow!"

"Oliver, I'm sure we'll be fine," George said, trying to soothe their angry Captain.

"If Bell plays the way she did on Thursday, we will _not _be fine," Oliver said, not even bothering to look at her.

George opened his mouth to say something else, but Katie jumped in before he could. "Fine. Whatever. We'll be there." A small sob escaped her, and she looked away quickly.

"Good," Oliver said shortly. "At four, then." He turned and walked back to Maud, who stood and exited with him.

George turned to Katie and cleared his throat. "You okay?"

Katie ignored him. "God, what an _asshole_!" she said bitterly, swiping at the tears that had begun streaming down her face. "Can we just get out of here?"

George nodded, reaching into his bag for some coins, which he set on the table, then followed Katie outside. He had to walk quickly to catch up with her, and grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him.

"Hey," he said softly. "It's okay. Oliver, he…didn't mean anything by it. He's just, you know, looking out for the team."

"Sure," Katie said shrilly, laughing through her tears. "Sure he is. Yep, good old Oliver's just trying to help the team!"

He look alarmed. "Katie, are you feeling all right?"

"I told him why I played so badly on Thursday! _Why _is he acting like I didn't?!" Katie was ranting now. "You know, I've never seen him so angry before," she added as an afterthought.

"Neither have I," George admitted. "Maybe he's just stressed about his N.E.W.T.S."

"It's…possible," she said doubtfully.

"Yeah, probably not." He laughed awkwardly. "More likely he's just feeling insecure and stressed about the match and has decided to take it out on the team."

Katie didn't want to point out that Oliver had never "taken it out on the team" before, so she merely said, "That's probably it. I'll bet he heard us talking about it and started getting nervous." She was trying to convince not only George, but also herself, that this was the truth. Explaining away Oliver's behavior made the tears slow down a little.

George reached out and carefully wiped her cheeks while taking a step closer. Leaning in, he brought his lips down to hers in a soft kiss. Katie stood there uncomfortably, wondering what she should do. She knew she _should _kiss him back, of course, for show, but she didn't want to make things weird, especially since it wasn't likely his kissing _her _was just for show. Even though they were supposed to be dating, she thought it was rather extreme for him to kiss her when she was only crying a tiny bit. He could have just wiped away her tears and stopped there. The fact that he was taking things further when he was well aware they were only pretending made her very uneasy. She needed to remind him, gently, that the only reason they were even together was because she liked someone else.

She pulled away quickly. "Um, George? I, uh, I don't think we should be doing this."

George looked confused and disappointed, and she couldn't blame him. "Wh-what?"

Katie took a deep breath. "Look , I know we're supposed to be going out and everything, but this-this just doesn't feel right. It's _awkward._ I mean, you're like my brother."

He winced, but quickly replaced it with a grin. "Oh, I see what you mean. I wouldn't want to kiss any of _my _brothers, either." The smile faded as quickly as it had come, however.

Katie reached out to touch his arm. "George, what's wrong? You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not." He was staring at the ground as though it were the most fascinating thing he had ever seen.

"Okay." Katie decided to drop it. "We'd better head back, then. We need to get changed for practice. If we're late, Oliver might just murder us."

George laughed weakly. Katie glanced at him, worried. It wasn't like George Weasley to be so somber. She vowed to nice long talk with Angelina about all this weird behavior.

**CatB: Well, that's all for now! I'm not too happy with the end bit, but I can't remember how it went before, dammit. Anyway, I promise to try and update sooner. Leave a review and let me know what you thought! **


	3. Suspicions Confirmed

**CatB: Yay! Here's Chapter 3! There's a little, tiny, scene with Hermione, Ron, and Ginny, by the way. Also, Angelina has a little...moment. Now, this moment seems a little out of place, but I love it too much to get rid of it. **

**Dedication: .-thanks for reviewing every chapter! (And by every, I mean two, but whatever. Thanks!) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing even remotely related to Harry Potter. **

Katie was tempted to be right on time or maybe a couple of minutes late to practice that afternoon, just to tick Oliver off, but she knew she needed to straighten things out with George or the match the next day was going to get really ugly. She therefore managed to get Angelina to tell George to meet her in the changing room a bit early, knowing that if she tried to ask him herself, he would completely ignore her. Angelina had, of course, picked up on the fact that they were being distant and that Katie was using her as an owl, but Katie promised to tell her everything at dinner and that shut her up.

* * *

At about half past three, Katie was to be found pacing around the changing room, already dressed, waiting to confront her "boyfriend." Five or so minutes later, George arrived, looking spleenful.* This conversation was not getting off to a good start, so Katie thought it would be best if she got straight to the point.

"George, I'm sorry," she began.

"Whatever," he said moodily, taking Katie by surprise with his rudeness. He was staring at the floor again, and Katie wished he would look at her.

"Look at me," she pleaded.

He raised his eyes slightly so that he was looking instead at her knees.

"Am I really so ugly that you can't look at my face?" she teased, switching tactics. He didn't even crack a smile.

Katie racked her brain, trying to figure out what could possibly cause one of the infamous Weasley pranksters to be so sullen.

"George, what's wrong?" she asked, although she thought she might know. She reached out to touch his arm, but as soon as she had done so, he flinched and went back to studying the ground.

"Nothing you can help with," he muttered.

"Are you…sure?" Katie said in what she hoped was a seductive tone.

George's head snapped up, and he watched as she swiftly stepped closer and, before he could react, kissed him. She could feel him tense up and pressed herself closer. George began to relax into it, reaching up to cup her face. Catching sight of the clock on the wall, he pulled away, face flushed, to say that he needed to change.

"I'll stay and watch, if you like," Katie said sweetly, watching his face turn even redder. Her conscience was yelling at her, saying it was wrong to lead George on like she was, but she was completely ignoring it.

"Um, alright then," he finally said.

He stripped off his clothes, and Katie's gaze was drawn at once to his toned chest. She was purposefully keeping her eyes away from his boxers, because she really didn't want to know what was going on down there.

A few minutes later, George stood before her, fully clothed in his Quidditch attire.

"Now, where were we?" Katie said, half-jokingly, and George laughed, his first genuine laugh since the beginning of their date earlier that day.

"I'm surprised," he said a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he moved closer. "You don't remember?" This last part was whispered in her ear.

Katie punched his arm lightly, trying not to feel too guilty about what she was doing, reminding herself for the hundredth time that this was all to make Oliver jealous and, she supposed, keep George happy, too.

"Of course I remember, silly," she said lightly, before leaning up to kiss him once more.

This time, they were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them and Katie jumped back, feeling guiltier than ever when she saw who it was. The rest of the team had arrived to get ready and apparently witnessed the kiss, judging by the looks on their faces, though Katie was sure Oliver had done the throat-clearing. He looked livid and ready to either hex them or yell at them as he face was tinged with an unpleasant maroon. Katie focused on Angelina instead, hoping that she could convey that it wasn't what it looked like, however, Angelina was beaming as though she was personally responsible. And, in a way, she was, but Katie knew that that would just make it more difficult to convince her friend that she really didn't have feelings for George Weasley. Fred, too, looked quite pleased, letting out a couple of catcalls that made Katie even more embarrassed. Alicia Spinnet merely looked bored, and Harry didn't seem to realize that his mouth was wide open as he stared.

It was Oliver who broke the silence by announcing that if they didn't get a move on, they would be practicing through dinner. Everyone roused themselves at these words and hurried to change, though Katie noticed her team mates' eyes kept shifting to look at her and George.

"Johnson, would you hurry up?" Oliver said loudly.

Angelina grabbed her broomstick, rolling her eyes as she did so. "Wow, that broomstick must be shoved _way _up his ass today," she muttered to Fred, who snickered.

"What was that?" Oliver demanded.

"Nothing, Captain Wood," she said sweetly, and it was Alicia's turn to giggle. "Why don't you guys go ahead. No need to wait for me."

"If you weren't so busy flirting with Fred we wouldn't have had to wait for you," Oliver pointed out.

"Oliver, you wouldn't know flirting if it poked you in the eye," Angelina retorted, and made to walk out of the room.

Oliver stopped her. "Hurrying now, are we?"

"I need to get out of here," Angelina declared, pushing past him. "There is _way _too much sexual tension." Smirking slightly, she marched onto the pitch, leaving a red-faced and spluttering Oliver behind her.

"That was brilliant. She really got you, mate," Fred chortled, but he stopped when he caught sight of the murderous look on their Captain's face.

"Er…shall we?" George said hastily, leading the way onto the pitch.

Katie hung back to ask Oliver if he needed help with the crate of balls since Angelina was not there to assist him.

"No, I've got it," he snapped.

"All right, _sorry._" Katie hurried outside to join the team, and a few minutes later, Oliver finally succeeded in dragging the crate out.

"Katie, why didn't you help him?" Angelina scolded, but she was smiling.

"I offered," said Katie, stung. "But he made it perfectly clear he didn't want any help."

"Oh," said Angelina, frowning. "Well, don't take it personally, he's obviously in a bad mood."

"Obviously," agreed Katie, who had, of course, already had a taste of his temper earlier.

"Well, there's nothing like a good Quidditch practice to cheer him up," Angelina said wisely.

"Good", however, was not at all how the practice that followed could be described, mostly due to Oliver's abysmal performance. After he let in the first couple goals, his team figured he just needed a little more time to warm up. After he let in close to ten goals, everyone was convincing themselves that he was just a bit nervous. After failing to save seventeen goals, they knew something was really wrong.

Harry flew over first. "Oliver," he said tentatively, "maybe we should stop-"

"We'll stop when I say we can stop," Oliver growled, but by this time Angelina and Alicia had flown over to try and reason with him, too.

"Oliver," Alicia said gently. "You're getting up worked up missing all these shots, which is messing with your concentration. We should really-"

"We are _not _stopping!" Oliver barked. "All of you, back in position. Angelina, you'll start with the Quaffle."

Angelina glared at him but took the Quaffle from Alicia, who had retrieved it. Dodging a Bludger, she flew to the goal posts on the opposite end of the field, where Oliver hovered, and feinted left before quickly passing the ball to Katie. Oliver had zoomed off to guard the left post, not realizing Angelina was feinting, and had to turn sharply and fly to the center hoop in the hope of stopping Katie from scoring. The three Chasers had flown off at this point, waiting to hear the groan that meant Oliver had missed yet again, but it never came. Instead, they heard a sickening _thud_. They turned to see Fred and George diving toward Oliver, who was-

"He's falling!" Angelina screamed.

Alicia had gone very white, Harry looked shocked, and Katie's hands were clapped over her mouth.

Fred had grabbed Oliver's broomstick, which he had apparently fallen off of, leaving George to catch their Captain.

Harry and the girls landed and watched anxiously as George caught Oliver about ten feet above the ground and, unaccustomed to the extra weight, struggled to keep his balance, finally landing more shakily than he normally would have. Fred landed next to them, looking worried. Katie, Angelina, and Alicia ran over to them while Harry shouted that he was going to alert Madam Pomfrey and flew off in the direction of the castle.

"What happened?" Katie gasped, clutching her sides.

"I didn't really see all of it, but it looked like he got hit in the head by the Quaffle after you threw it," George said softly.

She looked horrified. "This was all my fault, then," she whispered.

"Aw, Katie, come on, it was an accident," said Fred, and Alicia nodded.

"I hate to say this, but it was probably Oliver's fault more than anything," Angelina said quietly. "I mean, he's been distracted all practice."

"I know, but-" Katie began.

"Katie. Drop it," George said firmly. Seeing that her fears were not assuaged and she was about to say something else, he took her hands and drew her away from the rest of the team.

"There's really no use blaming yourself," he told her.

She bit her lip. "You're right," she said, wrapping her arms around him.

Harry had returned, accompanied by the harried-looking school nurse, Madam Pomfrey. In moments, she had conjured up a stretcher and Fred and George were carefully lifting Oliver's body onto it.

The team followed Madam Pomfrey to the hospital wing, still clutching their brooms, ignoring the jeers and taunts of passing Slytherins as best they could, though Fred came close to jinxing Captain Marcus Flint after he whispered, "Let me know when the funeral is."

Oliver was given a bed and a sleeping draught. He had a cracked skull and needed rest, the nurse told them, while wrapping bandages around his head.

"But he'll be able to play in the match tomorrow, won't he?" asked Angelina, and she replied that he would.

The team sat huddled around their captain, discussing their chances in the impending match. No one, however, seemed to want to bring up the awful practice they had just endured. When the dinner bell rang, Katie was the first one up.

"I'm hungry," she said defensively, in response to her team mates' quizzical looks. This was a lie. She had never felt less hungry in her life. "Would anyone care to join me?" she added, shooting Angelina a significant look.

"I guess I'll come," she said quickly.

"Me too," Alicia said, getting up as well.

The boys told them to bring some food back because they were going to wait and see if Oliver woke up.

"Well, that's a load of bull," Angelina snorted as they headed to the Great Hall. "I mean, they _know _Oliver won't be waking up anytime soon. They're probably just looking for an excuse to talk about us."

"Probably," Alicia agreed. "But isn't that what we're doing? Going to talk about them?"

"Mmm…I guess," said Katie absent-mindedly, replaying Oliver's accident in her head over and over again.

Having sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Hermione, Ron, and Ginny, the Chasers were not able to start their conversation about Katie's love life until they had explained Harry's whereabouts to his friends.

"…and luckily, Madam Pomfrey said he'll be fine for tomorrow's match!" Alicia finished happily.

Hermione made an incredulous noise, and everyone looked at her. "Oh, honestly!" she said. "Would it really be so bad if he couldn't play?"

"Yes!" Alicia, Katie, and Angelina said together.

"Hermione." Ron shook his head. "Without Oliver, they probably wouldn't stand a chance at winning."

"Well, there's more to Quidditch than just _winning_!" Hermione looked to Ginny for backup, and got none.

"Ron's right, Hermione," Ginny said carefully. "They need Oliver."

And it was all because of Katie that Oliver was in the hospital wing in the first place. If only she had waited to shoot, or been watching the ball's progress…She didn't think she would ever be able to face Oliver again out of pure shame, or-

"Katie. Earth to Katie." Alicia waved a hand in front of her face.

"Thinking about George?" Angelina teased.

"No, Oliver, actually," Katie replied.

"Well, _speaking _of George, how was your date? You two didn't seem too keen on talking to each other once you got back. What happened?" Angelina asked.

"Our date," Katie sighed, "was a total fiasco."

"How so?" Alicia wanted to know.

"Well, we hung out at Honeydukes for a while, stopped by Zonko's, then went to The Three Broomsticks, where we were interrupted by a very irate Oliver," Katie said all in one breath.

Angelina raised an eyebrow. "So far, it doesn't sound like too much of a disaster, but why was Oliver so angry?"

"I'm not sure," Katie said honestly, "though he might've heard us talking about the match and gotten nervous."

Alicia frowned. "That doesn't really explain anything-"

"Anyway, what did he say to you guys?" Angelina cut in.

"Um, that we'd need to get going because we had practice in a little while. And when I tried to say he hadn't scheduled a practice, he wouldn't hear it," Katie said, the tears welling up at the mere memory.

"And dear George came to your rescue, right?" Angelina said excitedly.

"Yeah, I guess. Anyway, needless to say, Oliver wouldn't listen to him either, so we finally just said we'd be there and he left." Katie prayed her friends wouldn't ask any more questions.

Angelina was looking at her critically. Alicia seemed to have lost interest and was trying to catch Cedric Diggory's eye.

"What?" Katie said irritably.

"Katie Bell, you have left something out of your little story!" she cried. "Either that or you haven't told us everything."

"I-I have too!" Katie protested.

"Well, that doesn't explain how you and George came to be upset with one another, does it?" Angelina challenged.

"No," Katie said, sighing dejectedly.

"So, what happened?" Angelina nudged her. "Come on, Alicia's not even listening."

"No, I'm not listening," Alicia smirked, but continued to stare at Cedric.

"Well, there's nothing to listen to!" Katie said hotly. "Nothing happened!"

"Yeah, because that was really convincing," Angelina giggled. "Not. Now tell!"

"Would you give it a rest?" Katie hissed.

"Well, actually, Angie, it's not like they were hooking up, because whatever it was made them mad at each other, right?" Alicia pointed out.

Angelina's face fell. "Oh. So what _did _happen, Katie? I'm getting really tired of asking. It can't be _that _bad, right? Besides, you promised you'd tell."

"Well, _I'm _getting tired of hearing you ask," said Katie, "so I might as well tell you…as long as _you _explain something to _me_, Angie."

"Yay!" Angelina squealed, clapping her hands.

Katie took a deep breath. "Well, Oliver was being a real jerk, so I kind of started crying and George kissed me," she said really fast.

"So you two _did _hook up!" Alicia said triumphantly, pumping her fist in the air.

Angelina looked confused. "But why weren't you guys talking when you got back?"

"Because I-I told him it felt awkward, like kissing my brother, and he got all quiet and stuff," she said meekly.

"You don't even _have _a brother," Alicia said.

Angelina had put her head in her hands. "Oh, Katie, you didn't."

Katie suddenly remembered her suspicions in the changing room.

"Hey, Angie," she said casually, "do you think George is a good actor?"

"What? Why?" She looked rather bewildered, as did Alicia.

"Well, I don't know," Katie said hesitantly, unsure if she really wanted to know after all, "but it weird how much George was getting into it, I mean, he was really milking it for all it's worth, you know?"

"It's, um, actually not that weird." Seeing the question in Katie's eyes, she elaborated, "Well, I might as well tell you. I, um, set you guys up, on purpose." She clapped a hand over her mouth. "I _never_ told you that, okay?"

Katie thought she must have misheard her friend. "You _what?!_"

"George came to me a couple of days ago and told me he liked you, so when you told me that you liked Oliver, I thought you guys could go out, and you'd both be happy. Well, I was right, wasn't I?" Angelina was pleading now.

"No, you were wrong," Katie said coldly, causing Angelina and Alicia to look taken aback. "I'm not happy. And it is _not _my responsibility to make George Weasley happy, either!" And with that, she stormed out of the Great Hall and up to her dormitory, seething.

Later, as she lay on her four-poster and tried to sleep, she let the tears run down her face. Why did she have to put aside her own happiness for someone else's?

***Spleenful IS a word-look it up in the dictionary. Cool, huh? It's my new favorite word!**

**CatB: So, this chapter was a bit longer than the others, I believe, which kind of annoyed me, but I didn't want to cut anything, either! **

**Please let me know what you think! I hate to be one of those people that says this, but...I'm not updating until I get a decent amount of reviews, otherwise I feel like this isn't worth working on. So tell your friends, and review, review, review! Thanks! =)**


	4. Blackmail Works

**CatB: So...here's chapter 4! (Wow, already?) Anyway, I love this chapter. I really tried to go the route that wasn't too expected...hope that worked. Enjoy!**

**Dedication: broadwayfreak97, who has reviewed THREE times! (Now that might be because she's my friend, but whatever...she rocks!)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing even remotely related to Harry Potter. Wish I did, though. As I have practically no money I really don't want anyone to sue. **

Katie awoke the next morning feeling slightly anxious about Gryffindor's match that afternoon. She knew that her team was superior to Slytherin's, but she also knew that sometimes luck, and not talent, was what won a match.

She went down to breakfast with Angelina and the twins, but regretted this decision almost immediately: Fred and Angelina were clearly trying to see who was the less subtle flirt. Watching her friends tease each other, however, was a small price to pay if it meant she didn't have to think about Oliver, who was still, as far as anyone knew, sleeping soundly in the hospital wing.

"Katie? Are you okay?" George asked quietly.

She pulled herself out of her thoughts and back to the present. "Um, yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking about Oliver," she said quickly and carelessly.

"Oh, that's great," he said, but his smile was stretched a little too far across his face.

Katie smacked herself inwardly, realizing her tactlessness. "I just meant-I mean, I'm just worried, that's all. I know Madam Pomfrey said he'd be okay to play in the match today, but-" She stopped herself mid-rant, noticing that George's eyes were starting to glaze over.

_At least he's still paying attention_, Katie reminded herself. _That's really nice of him._

"Um, I'm done," she said, pushing her half-eaten toast away from her. She picked up her goblet, drained it, and stood up.

George rose, too. "Guess I'm done as well, then."

"No, stay and finish eating," Katie said hurriedly.

He leaned toward her. "Do you really think I _want _to stay here and watch Fred and Angelina flirt? I don't think I'd be able to keep my food down," he whispered loudly, and Katie giggled unwillingly.

"Oi! We can _hear _you," Fred pointed out.

Angelina smirked. "Yeah, flirting doesn't impair our hearing, you know."

Katie was suddenly reminded of Angelina's comments in the changing room, and the promise she had made the previous night, and sat back down. George followed suit.

"Hey, Angie, I was wondering what you meant about the sexual tension yesterday. When we were in the changing room, I mean." Katie felt extremely foolish, but added, "I said I'd tell you, um, everything, if you told me something, remember? Well, that's what I wanted to know."

The twins were looking from one girl to the other, clearly lost.

Angelina's smile faded slightly. "Oh, that?" She laughed nervously. "I can't tell you."

"But you said you would!" Katie cried.

Angelina shook her head, her eyes full of pity. "Katie, I only said that so you'd spill everything."

Katie took a deep breath, resisting the urge to make a scene like she had the previous night. "Angelina," she said calmly, "could you _please_ tell me?"

"I wish I could," Angelina said, "but that would mean breaking a promise I made to someone."

"Well, you didn't seem to have a problem last night when you told me that you set me and George up because George liked me!" Katie hissed, forgetting her company.

George's mouth dropped open. "You told her _that_?" he asked Angelina.

"Yes, she did," Katie answered, for Angelina had frozen and looked like she would not be speaking for a while.

"Well, isn't that bloody fantastic," George muttered, getting up.

Katie moved to follow him, but Fred stopped her. "Let him be, Katie," he said, looking troubled.

"I didn't mean to let that slip," she said at once. "Angie, I am so incredibly sorry."

"Hey, it's okay, but as a consequence you'll have to hang out with me and Fred all day," Angelina teased.

"Yeah, good idea." Fred grinned at Angelina, then turned back to Katie. "Anyway, we're gonna go see Oliver. Come with us?"

Katie's heart sank. She had no intention of visiting Oliver, and she had no intention of talking to him ever again, which would, of course, make Quidditch practice very interesting…

She pulled a smile onto her face. "I'll stop by later, okay? I actually have an assignment I want to finish."

"Oh, okay," Angelina said, looking slightly surprised.

"We'll let you know how he's doing!" Fred called over his should as they walked away hand in hand.

"That'd be great," she replied. _Not._ She hurried back to the common room and retrieved her bag from beside her bed. She had purposefully left the assignment until today so that she _would _have an excuse to avoid the hospital wing. The problem was finding a place to do her work. The common room was too noisy, and she didn't want to go outside, either, because it was quite windy and she didn't fancy having to run around after the two rolls of parchment that would eventually make up her Defense Against the Dark Arts essay. She would have to stay in her dorm, she supposed, but it was a little too isolating for her liking.

She had just finished scribbling her conclusion a little over two hours later when she felt another presence in the room. She looked up to find Angelina leaning against a post on Leanne's bed.

"Hey," Angelina said. "Finished your work?"

"Yeah," Katie said, already thinking of more ways to get out of visiting their Captain.

"Good," she said briskly, "because Oliver's been asking for you."

Katie gaped at her. "Wait. What?"

"He told us a least a million times that he needed to see you," Angelina explained patiently.

"Well, I hope you told him I'm not coming," Katie said indifferently, hoping her face wouldn't betray her. Oliver had been asking for her! Why, though?

"Katie!" her friend said reproachfully.

Katie crossed her arms. "I don't _want _to go," she said stubbornly. "I'm not going!"

"Katie?" came Alicia's voice from somewhere near the doorway. She had obviously been running: she was out of breath and her hair was coming out of its ponytail.

"You have to go see Oliver," she panted, clutching her side, "or else he says he will personally make sure you are kicked off the team."

"_What?!_" shrieked Katie. "He can't do that!"

Alicia shrugged apologetically. "I don't know, that's just what he said."

"But-but," Katie spluttered, "but that's-that's _blackmail_!"

"Well, Katie, I guess this means you should go," said a smirking Angelina.

"Yeah, do you really want to see if Oliver can get you kicked off the team?" Alicia asked.

Katie groaned. "This is ridiculous," she snapped, but she grabbed her bag and stomped off. With each step she took her anger seemed to increase ten-fold. Threatening to kick her off the team? Didn't he have better things to do than make immature threats like that? And why on earth did he want to see her so badly anyway?

She threw open the doors to the hospital wing. "Oliver Wood, you are the most immature _prat_ I have ever come across!"

Madam Pomfrey hurried over, looking scandalized. "Miss Bell, keep your voice down. Mr. Wood is not my only patient, you know," she said sternly.

"I'm sorry," Katie said meekly, but when the nurse was out of earshot, she whipped back around and hissed, "I can't _believe_ you blackmailed me into coming."

"I can't believe you didn't want to come see me," Oliver countered with a pout. "I had to do _something _to get you here, didn't I?"

She rolled her eyes, trying not to smile at him.

"So now I know what to say the next time I want you to do something," Oliver continued, chuckling.

Katie drew herself up to her full height, which she was aware was not all that intimidating. "You don't have the power to kick me off the team-"

"But McGonagall does," he interrupted, watching realization dawn on her face, rendering her speechless. She fell into a chair and glared at him, surprised when, instead of cowering under the covers as she rather hoped he would, he merely laughed.

"Calm down, do you really think I would do that to you?" He grinned at her. "That wouldn't just kill you, that would kill the team, too. You're my best Chaser, Katie-but don't tell Angelina and Alicia I said that."

She blushed. "Thanks," she said awkwardly. Their one-on-one had been going well until he had said that. She cleared her throat nervously, her brain cooking up various topics she might introduce. "So, uh, had any luck with that girl yet? The girl you told me about after practice Thursday?" What was she _saying?_ Why did he have to go and embarrass her? Now her thoughts were all jumbled up, and her cheeks were even redder than before.

Oliver looked slightly taken aback at first, but soon relaxed into a crooked grin. "Maybe. I'd like to think so, anyway. And how are things with your Mystery Man?"

Katie shifted uncomfortably. "Better, I guess."

Oliver began to look confused. "But you said you didn't like George."

"What? I don't," Katie said. "I mean, I do, just not like _that_."

"Oh, so he's not the guy you like, even though things are obviously better with _him._"

Katie stared at him. "Okay. What?"

Oliver was looking into his lap. "You know, you're dating him, and you guys were kissing yesterday, so things have gotten better with him, right?"

"Right," Katie said slowly.

"But he's not the one you like?" Oliver asked.

"Oh, no, he's not. I, um, see what you were getting at before. Yeah, George and I are just dating for show." She couldn't believe she had just said that. That whole point was that he _wouldn't _know they were pretending. Why couldn't her mouth and her brain work together, honestly?

"Really?" Oliver brightened, looking relieved. "It's just," he added hastily, "I don't encourage my players to date each other."

Katie did not have time to read into this statement because just then, Madam Pomfrey bustled over. "Well, Mr. Wood, looks like you're good to go."

"Awesome," Oliver said happily, jumping up.

Katie glanced at the clock. It was a quarter to eleven, and the match started at twelve. She wondered if she would have time to track down George, see how he was doing, and change into her Quidditch robes, but Oliver had another idea.

"Do you want to come sit by the lake with me?" he asked.

"Sure, that sounds fun," she replied nonchalantly. She promised herself she could and would talk to George later.

**CatB: So now I'm wondering if you guys want me to include the lake scene or just get on with the freaking Quidditch match already. If I _do _write the lake scene, it will appear in a flashback. If I don't write the lake scene, well, yay, less work for me! (But I promise I don't care either way!)**

**Anyway, review review review! I really don't want to turn into one of those people that expects a certain number of reviews before I update, and I really REALLY don't want to just stop this story without warning. I don't think people realize the power of reviews, though. Even if you just say "good job" or "update soon" or even "this sucks" (any of which should only take about 5 seconds, people) you would totally make my day. Okay, that's enough bitching. I'll shut up now so you will (hopefully) review!**


	5. Closing In

**CatB: So here's chapter five! (Wow, I still can't believe I've made it to five chapters...) Thanks for reading, I hope you like it! **

**Disclaimer: Oh, honestly, if I owned Harry Potter I think you would know by now...**

Katie had thoroughly enjoyed her lakeside chat with Oliver, but she knew she couldn't dwell on that now, with the match about to begin. She also knew she needed to fix the awkwardness that existed between her and George. When Oliver had gathered the team together for his usual pep talk, George had only glanced at her once, and when he noticed Katie's eyes were on him, he turned away quickly.

Before she knew it, they were walking onto the pitch, straining to figure out who was supporting Gryffindor and who wasn't. Oliver and Flint shook hands, per Madame Hooch's instruction, and then everyone was waiting for the whistle that signaled the start of the match.

_Tweeeet! _

* * *

Forty-seven and a half minutes later, the Gryffindor team was happily heading back to the changing room. Not only had they won (220 to 70), but Fred had also managed to break Flint's nose with a well-hit Bludger, getting back at him for his nasty comment about Oliver the previous evening.

"That was _brilliant _the way you hit that Bludger, Fred," Angelina said admiringly as they began to strip off their sweaty Quidditch robes.

"Why, thank you." Fred tried to look modest and failed.

"Oh, get over yourself, Weasley," she laughed.

"What?" Fred asked, looking offended. "I'm not allowed to let some praise from my girlfriend get to me a little bit?"

At the word "girlfriend", the rest of the team turned and to stare at them, Katie regretfully tearing her eyes away from Oliver's bare chest.

"Girlfriend?" Alicia squealed.

"Girlfriend?" Angelina echoed, looking more than a little shocked.

Fred shrugged. "Well, yeah. I just thought you might-"

Next thing everyone knew, Angelina had leaned over and kissed him.

"Hold it!" Oliver glared at them. "You two don't have my permission!"

They broke apart, looking only mildly embarrassed.

"And why do we need your permission?" Fred demanded.

"Because," Oliver shot back, "I will not have my players dating each other!" His face was triumphant as he waited for a reply.

"Oh, like you're one to talk, Oliver Wood," Angelina smirked.

Oliver opened and closed his mouth several times, the cocky look gone. His teammates were staring looking quizzically at him, so he choked out, "Er, shall we get up to that party, then?"

Everyone cheered their approval of this idea. Katie noticed that George cheered loudest of all, and wasn't sure she wanted to know what he would get up to during the after-party…

* * *

"Butterbeer, Katie?" George held out a bottle. "One of the last ones," he added.

"But we can always get more, of course," Fred said quickly.

Katie didn't know why George was talking to her again, but she wasn't complaining. After the team was greeted by the whoops and cheers and catcalls of the crowded common room, Fred and George had unveiled the butterbeer and George had begun joking with her as usual. She thought this friendliness was probably because of the drink, which the twins had had on hand no matter what the outcome of the match. As Fred pointed out, one could drink butterbeer when sad, too.

"Thanks, George." Katie accepted the drink with a small smile.

"No problem," he grinned.

Fred pretended to gag. "You guys know I'm still here, right? Save the gaga looks for later."

Katie laughed. "Gaga looks? We are not giving each other _gaga_ look, Fred, we're being polite."

"Well, now we know what you'd be doing if Angelina were here, don't we?" George teased.

"Where _is _Angie?" Katie asked. "I thought she would be with you."

"Talking to Oliver, apparently." Fred nodded to a corner of the common room, where Angelina and Oliver sat, looking solemn as they held their conversation in what appeared to be low voices.

Katie couldn't figure out how she had missed them, but now she tried to study them carefully without giving away what she was doing. Angelina seemed to be playing the role of comforter, patting Oliver's shoulder after he put his head in his hands. When she said something else, he merely shook his head violently.

Katie moved towards them just as Angelina looked up at her. Angelina gave Oliver's shoulder one last pat and walked off to chat with Alicia. Katie blinked and turned away, but Oliver called her back.

"Why don't you sit here?" he asked, patting the seat beside him.

Katie tried to keep the excitement off her face. "Sure, thanks."

"It's no problem," he said, smiling at her.

She returned the smile, then looked quickly around for George, who was thankfully nowhere in sight. Oliver seemed to be looking for someone, too, but it wasn't long before his attention was on her again. They didn't say anything for a few minutes, just watched the celebrations.

"You made some great plays today," Oliver said suddenly.

She knew she was blushing, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. "Thanks. You did too," she mumbled.

"I know I did," he joked.

She hit his arm lightly. "Don't you go getting a big head now, too."

"Don't worry about me." She caught the sad note in his voice and turned to look at him. His gaze locked on hers, and she admired his soft brown eyes for a moment.

"Um, I should go find George," she said breathlessly, intentionally breaking the connection to search for her boyfriend once again.

"No, stay and enjoy the celebrations with me," he insisted quietly, and she thought she could see a slight blush on his cheeks.

"I-okay," she whispered.

He leaned in closer and she held her breath, still looking into the depths of his eyes. He had barely planted his lips on hers when she pulled away. She had finally found George in the crowd, and he had witnessed the kiss, short though it was.

George stared at them for a moment, then turned and pushed his way through the throngs.

Katie looked at Oliver then at the spot where George had disappeared. "I have to go," she said quickly, jumping to her feet.

She made her way through the groups of chatting people, feeling caught between going after George and going back to Oliver.

Upon reaching the staircase that led up to the boy's dormitory, she paused. She didn't _have_ to deal with George just then, she reasoned, but it would be too weird to sit with Oliver again and only hope that things could go further than they already had. She knew that this would be wrong, however, as Oliver was under the influence of butterbeer and thus could not be held accountable for his actions. Unfortunately.

She turned and hurried up the stairs to her own dorm. She sighed, flopping onto her bed. Before she could stop herself, she closed her eyes and called back that afternoon's events…

_Flashback:_

_Oliver led her to a large beech tree near the edge of the water._

_He sat at the base of the tree, gesturing at the space beside him. "Sit."_

_She obliged, scooting a little closer to him than was probably necessary, but he didn't seem to mind, if he even noticed. _

_Someone cleared their throat above them. "Um, can I sit here?"_

_It was Percy Weasley. Katie prayed that Oliver would say no, but he nodded. "Of course." _

_Percy sat on Oliver's other side, making it even more difficult for Katie to strike up a conversation. _

"_So," she said after a moment, "do you like your classes this year?"_

"_Yeah. The magic is complicated, but it's been really interesting, so far," Oliver told her. _

"_Well, I don't think we have _nearly_ enough work," Percy complained. "Our teachers need to stop babying us and start preparing us for the real world, outside of Hogwarts."_

"_You want us to have more work?" Oliver shook his head disbelievingly before turning to Katie. "And how do you like your classes?" _

"_They're good. Working us for our O.W.L.s already, of course."_

_They lapsed into silence for a few minutes, Percy ducking his head into a book that looked quite boring. _

"_So, what's your favorite Quidditch team?" Oliver asked at last._

_Katie told him that she was partial to the Chudley Cannons and that she wanted to see them play before she died. When Oliver snickered, she asked what was so funny. _

"_Well, it just so happens that the Cannons are expected to play the Wimbledon Wasps sometime next month," Oliver explained. "We could go together, if you'd like," he added casually. _

_She grinned. "That would be awesome!" _

"_Yeah, it would," he agreed. _

"_Now, what's your favorite team?" Katie asked. _

_He shrugged. "I'd have to go with Puddlemere United. I'd love to play for them when I get out of here." _

_Katie couldn't believe she had forgotten that he would be graduating at the end of the year. "Oh, Oliver, I wish you didn't have to graduate," she sighed. "What are we going to do about a Keeper when you leave?" _

"_I hope that's not the only reason you want me to stay," Oliver laughed. _

"_Of course not," Katie giggled. "Where would the team be without your grueling practices and never ending pep talks?"_

"_Hey!" He lunged at her, knocking her to the ground and, not anticipating her reaction very well, ended up falling on top of her._

_Katie brushed her hair out of her face and looked up at the boy lying on top of her. His cheeks were red, yet it didn't look like he was going to move anytime soon…_

"_Oof," she said most intelligently. "Oliver, you're kind of squishing me."_

"_Oh, really?" He was smirking now._

_Katie glanced at Percy, who was clearly not reading his book any more, having abandoned it to stare at them instead. _

"_Um, yeah," she said uncomfortably. "Do you think you could get off of me?" As soon as she said it, she wished she hadn't, but the damage had already been done._

"_Of course," Oliver said hastily, clambering to his feet. Always the gentleman, he extended his arm to help her up. _

"_Thanks," she told him._

_Oliver shoved his hands in his pockets. "Do you want to walk around the lake?"_

"_Sure, that sounds fun," she said awkwardly. _

_They bid goodbye to Percy, who was reading his book again, and walked down to the edge of the water. There, they began to circle the lake, talking about everything from their pets to their favorite colors. Katie learned that Oliver liked to travel and had always wanted a hidden staircase in his house when he was little. In exchange for that information, she told him that she was prone to random singing outbursts and would love to own a cashmere sweater. _

_After what seemed like no time at all to Katie, it was time for them to make their way to the changing rooms. Katie was not looking forward to this; she had not seen George since that morning and didn't know what her reception would be, nor was she interested in finding out. _

_They were the first ones in the changing room. Katie didn't want to get dressed while it was just the two of them, so she sat on a bench and swung her legs back and forth, trying to calm her nerves. Oliver sat next to her and took her hand._

"_Good luck," he said quietly, giving her hand a squeeze._

"_You too," she whispered back, shuddering a little at how close they were, unable to believe this was really happening. _

"_Are you cold?" He sounded surprised, and Katie relaxed. He didn't know why she was really shivering…_

_The door opened and they dropped their hands. The rest of the team filed in, Angelina looking suspiciously at the pair of them. "You didn't tell us you were discharged, Oliver," she whined. "We all went looking for you at the hospital wing, but Madam Pomfrey said you had already left."_

"_Well, after Katie came to visit me," Oliver shrugged, "we decided to go for a little walk."_

"_Oh," Angelina said, raising her eyebrows. "Okay then." _

_George was not looking at them, and refused to look at them the whole time they were changing. He avoided Katie's eyes during Oliver's pep talk, glancing at her only once._

Katie opened her eyes, full of guilt about how badly she was treating George. She _had _to talk to him-she had already put it off once. But first, she had to straighten some things out with Oliver first.

**CatB: In some ways, I really like this chapter, in some ways, I hate it. But anway, sorry for not including the Quidditch match-that seemed a little hard to write.**

**Tell me what YOU think-reviews are loved! They make my day. =) **


	6. Too Many Explanations

**CatB: I know it's been forever, but switching schools in the middle of the year has caused a plethora of problems-more than even I imagined. I'm sorry! This chapter may feel kind of rushed because I really just wanted to get something up so you wouldn't think I abandoned it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does. I just borrow the characters for fanfiction fun! If anything changes (and it won't), I'll let you know. **

**_NOTE!: I DON'T WANT TO GIVE ANYTHING AWAY, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO TELL MY READERS THAT I HAVE CHANGED THE PLOT A LITTLE AND SO IT MAY NOT TURN OUT THE WAY YOU WERE EXPECTING_. (When that time comes, anyway). And for that, I am truly sorry! Please don't hate me... **

Katie did not manage to track Oliver down until that evening. After asking several people if they knew of his whereabouts, Alicia had finally told her that he had mentioned something about going to the Owlery. He was indeed in the Owlery, and he had just sent a letter off with a school barn owl when she walked in.

"Oliver?" she said with bravery she did not feel.

He turned slowly. "Hey, Katie." He smiled, but he would not look at her.

"So," she began nervously, "I-uh, was hoping, that is-I wanted to talk about the, um, the party…what happened, you know, between us, at the party, I mean. If that's okay…"

The side of Oliver's face that she could see turned slightly pink. "Er, okay."

She took a deep breath. "Um, I-I get why it happened, it-"

"You do?" He looked at her at last.

"Yeah," Katie said confidently, then faltered. She was suddenly unable to remember why she had started this conversation in the first place, something that seemed to be happening on a regular basis. "It was-it was, you know, post-game euphoria, right?"

He ran his fingers through his hair, clearing his throat as he did so. "Yeah," he agreed. "That's exactly what it was."

"Good," Katie nodded. "That's really-yeah. Exactly what I thought."

"Good," Oliver repeated. "Great, actually."

Katie shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "So, uh, when's our next Quidditch practice?" she asked, reverting to their favorite conversation standby.

Instead of enthusiastically rattling off a date and time, Oliver let out a miserable sigh. "I don't know."

"You don't _know_?" Katie asked incredulously.

"I don't know _yet_," he amended hastily.

"Well, that's a first," she couldn't help but point out.

"I know," he groaned. "I've had a lot on my mind, though."

"Mmm." Even though Katie thought that was a poor excuse, she was not eager for him to elaborate on whatever was distracting him from Quidditch.

"Yeah, it's just, N.E.W.T.s are so time-consuming, you know?" Oliver said.

"I'm sure they are," she said politely.

He shook his head. "It's unbelievable how much time we're supposed to spend preparing for them. I have to juggle N.E.W.T.-level coursework _and _Quidditch, so it's been pretty rough. If you think O.W.L. year is bad, just wait until your seventh year."

"Well, just let me know when the next practice is, after you've decided on the day and time, okay?" she said quickly, then exited the Owlery before he could object, or worse, call her back.

She made her way back to the common room to see if George was there. After giving the Fat Lady the password, she entered to discover not only George, but Fred and Angelina as well. She immediately felt quite sorry for George. Fred and Angelina were kissing as though their lives depended on it, and poor George seemed unable to keep from glancing at them every so often, disgust written all over his features.

She walked over to him, wrinkling her nose at their friends, which caused him to smile a little. At least he wasn't being completely unfriendly.

"Hi, Katie," he greeted her, his voice tinged with relief.

"Hi," she replied. "Need a break from those two?"

His response was more enthusiastic than she had expected. "You have no idea."

He led her upstairs to his dorm and sat down on the edge of his bed, while Katie perched awkwardly on the end of Fred's, facing him.

"Well," George said after a moment, "what do you want to talk about?"

Katie surprised herself by saying, "The after-party, actually."

He paled slightly. "What-what about it?"

"That whole thing with Oliver," she said quietly.

He shot her a pained look.

"Look, I just want you to know that what you saw-it didn't mean anything," she said quickly. "Honestly. I talked to him a couple of minutes ago and he admitted that he was just really happy about winning the match. That's all."

George brightened considerably. Katie pretended not to notice. "Oh, I, um, figured it was something like that."

They lapsed into silence again, George swinging his legs, Katie staring down at her lap.

George broke the silence first. "You know, maybe this means Fred and I were right."

"What proves you were right about what?" Katie asked.

"Oliver kissing you proves that he _does _like you," he said bitterly, meeting her eyes only briefly.

"No, it doesn't," she said automatically, though part of her was beginning to feel hopeful. She shook her head to clear those thoughts. "It doesn't explain why he and that Maud girl are always hanging out. I _know _he says they're only friends, but it certainly doesn't seem like it sometimes."

"Well, they're like you and me, Katie. We're always hanging out, too, but we're not-we're only friends as well." The bitter note was still there, so Katie decided it was time for a subject change.

"I'm getting kinda worried about Oliver, George." She realized after she said that that it probably wasn't the best topic she could have come up with.

He snorted. "Why? He can take care of himself."

"Well, yeah, but he's been really out of it lately, haven't you noticed? First there was that awful Quidditch practice when he cracked his skull, and now he doesn't even know when our next practice will be."

"So he's got other things on his mind," George said with a shrug.

"Yes, but he's normally very on top of things when it comes to Quidditch. And I know he's still serious about it, because he wants to play for Puddlemere when he gets out of here." Her defense sounded weak, even to her own ears.

"I'm sure he'll be okay, Katie. Listen, I've just realized I've got some work to finish for Snape and if I don't start soon I'll be up all night," George said suddenly.

She stared at him. "Since when are you so serious about schoolwork?"

"Since Percy told us he would be keeping in touch with our teachers to make sure we were getting 'appropriate grades,'" George sighed, rummaging through the trunk at the foot of his bed.

A giggle escaped her. "Are you really that scared of Percy?"

"No," he said shortly, "but I don't want to have to deal with his disapproval, not to mention mum's, on top of everything else."

Katie thought the "everything else" probably had something to do with her, so she said goodbye and left him to his work.

Back down in the common room, she immediately noticed Leanne talking to Angelina in a hushed voice. When they saw Katie, however, both girls straightened up and smiled.

"So, Katie," Angelina began cheerfully, "what were you and George doing up in the dorms, huh?"

"Nothing like what you're thinking," Katie said through gritted teeth, taking a seat on an armchair facing them. As she did so, she watched Leanne shoot Angelina a warning look.

"What were you two talking about?"

"Nothing important," Leanne said rather quickly.

"Yeah, nothing you need to know about," Angelina said airily.

"Good job, Angie. Now she knows that it's something she needs to know about," Leanne hissed, loud enough that Katie could hear her.

"What do I need to know about?" Katie demanded. "If you don't tell me I swear I'll-"

"Okay, okay, we'll tell you," Angelina whispered. "Keep your voice down, though, unless you want everyone to know your little secret."

"What? What are you talking about?" Katie whined in a manner more befitting a child.

"We have some…news, Katie," Leanne said gently. "And we're not sure you're going to like it very much."

"Oh, out with it already!" Katie had had enough. "Just tell me the bloody news, I promise I won't get upset."

"Well," Angelina said slowly, looking worriedly at Leanne, who nodded reassuringly, "apparently, uh…"

"Apparently Oliver's got a girlfriend now," Leanne finished.

The three sat in silence for a moment, and then Katie burst out laughing. "You guys can't be serious."

Leanne and Angelina exchanged yet another look. "Um, actually, we are," Angelina said earnestly.

Katie narrowed her eyes at them. "I was talking to him not half an hour ago. He never mentioned anything about a girlfriend."

"Katie, no offense, but why would he share that information with you? He wouldn't tell you who he liked, either." Leanne pointed out.

"Besides, it's not like it's any of your business. You have a boyfriend, remember? A boyfriend who is really, _really_ into you," Angelina continued.

Katie gave her friends her best glare. "Wow, you guys are so supportive. Anyway, who is this mysterious girlfriend? And how on earth did you find out about this in the first place?"

Angelina bit her lip. "Now, Katie, don't get upset-"

"I didn't get upset about the first bit, did I?" Katie asked angrily. "Who is it?"

"I know you wanted to think they were just friends, but," Leanne took a deep breath, "it's that's Maud girl in his year."

"Oh, of course. The one that who's helping him 'study for his N.E.W.T.s. I should have known that was a load of rubbish!" Katie muttered. "You still haven't told me how you know this," she added a bit louder.

"Well, ," Angelina said.

"Um, what?" Katie said.

"We were looking out the window, see, and when we looked over at the lake, we saw the two of them, kissing," Leanne said quietly.

"Actually, what I'm thinking is that maybe you guys just weren't seeing things properly. I mean, you're all the way up in this tower, at least forty feet off the ground. Who's to say they weren't hugging or something?" Katie snapped.

"What did you expect us to do, ask him about it?" Angelina wanted to know.

"Yes! No! I don't know!" Katie cried, sinking her head in her hands.

Leanne began rubbing her back gently. "Hey, it's okay."

"I know. I'm fine," Katie said dejectedly into her hands.

"You know what you need?" Angelina said excitedly.

"Oh, Angie, not another one of your plans," Katie groaned. "My current boyfriend isn't exactly working out the way you planned, so I'm in no hurry to try anything else you may suggest."

"I wasn't talking about a plan, silly." Angelina looked indignant. "I think you need some butterbeer!"

"No, you know what I _really _need?" Without waiting for an answer, Katie continued, "Some time to think, by myself. That's what I need. Good night, girls." And with that, she walked calmly and composedly up the stairs. Once she reached her dorm, however, she changed into her favorite pair of worn flannel pajamas, curled up into a ball and cried herself to sleep.

**CatB: Sorry for the abrupt ending and for all the dialogue. Hope you liked it anyway! **

**Reviews make my day a million times better! **


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